Vacuum and air pumps



July 30, 1963 F. H. BECKFIELD VACUUM AND AIR PUMPS Filed July 21, 1960 IN VEN TOR Franklin H. Beckfield BY af W his ATTORNEYS 3,099,387 VACUUM AND AIR PUMPS Franklin H. Beckfield, Beckfield Rotary Vacuum Blower Co., 72 1st Ave, Pittsburgh 22, Pa. Filed July 21, 1960, Ser. No. 44,418 4 tllaims. (Cl. 230-152) This invention relates to vacuum and air pumps and particularly to a vacuum and air vane pump structure which eliminates the problems of vane lubrication and vanes hanging up in the vane channels during the pumping act-ion. Two of the very significant problems in vane vacuum and air pumps are in lubrication of the vanes .and rotor and the vanes traveling in slots are retarded by suction from going out against the pump housing wall and are prevented from returning by pressure behind the vane. In the former case, large losses in efliciency result, whereas, in the latter case, the vanes tend to gouge and unduly wear the walls of the pump.

The present invention provides a structure which completely eliminates both of these problems and permits the vanes to move freely in and out of their guide slots in the pump rotor. In addition the balancing of [force achieved by my invention reduces or eliminates the mechanical noise which is conventionally associated with each cycle of travel of the vanes and the lubricating film remains longer on the surfaces of the cylinder and vanes and thereby maintains the seal which is necessary for compression.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide a housing having a cylindrical bore, a rotor in said bore rotatable about an aids parallel to and spaced from the axis of the bore, slots in said rotor transverse to the circtunference of the rotor terminating in the body of the rotor, piston blades or vanes movable in said slots in contact with the internal walls of the cylindrical bore and means communicating between the base of each slot and the circumference of the rotor adjacent the leading surface of the next adjacent blade. An oil or grease reservoir is preferably provided in the housing with communication adjacent the rotor axis to the bore whereby rotation of the rotor meters oil or grease to the bore and rotor.

In the foregoing general statement, I have set out certain objects, advantages and purposes of my invention. Other objects purposes and advantages will be evident from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings in which,

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through a pump according to my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a segmental section on the line II-II of FIGURE 1, with the rotor in elevation;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line IIIII I of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of a lubricator for use in my invention.

Referring to the drawings 1 have illustrated a housing having an inner cylindrical bore 11 with an inlet port 1 2 and outlet port 13. A rotor 14 is journaled in bearings 15 in end bells 16 and 17 on a shaft 18 adapted to be driven by a suitable power source not shown. The shaft 18 is parallel to but spaced from the axis of bore 11 so that the periphery of rotor '14 contacts the periphery 3,099,387. Patented July 30, 1963 "ice of bore 11 along a straight line but is otherwise spaced from the bore. Spaced slots 19 are provided in rotor 14 transverse to the periphery of the rotor. Varies 20 are [freely movable in slots 19 so that centrifugal force causes them to be wedged out of the slots into contact with the inner wall of bore 11. A passageway 21 is drilled from the base of slot 19 to the periphery of the rotor at a point in advance of the leading edge of the next adjacent slot.

The above described structure creates a balancing of forces on the two ends of each vane 20 which is commensurate with its position in bore .11. The net result is a gradual increase of efiective pressure on the back of the vanes which eliminates retardation of the vanes on their outward stroke and a decrease of effective pressure on tront of the vanes on the inward stroke which eliminates gouging.

Each of bearings 15 is provided with a passageway 22 communicating from oil reservoirs 23 in the end bells to the inner end wall of the bell housings in contact with the ends of rotor 14. A lubricator made up of a clamp which may be brass, steel, plastic or like resilient material, .and spring 24 carrying a felt member 25 is placed over shaft 1 8 in the bearings so that oil from reservoir 23 is drawn up to the shaft, where it is carried along passageway 22 into bore 11 and distributed over the surfaces of the rotor and vanes.

In the foregoing specification, l have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, however, it will be understood that this invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a rotary vane pump having a housing, a cylindrical bore in the housing, inlet and outlet ports communicating with said bore, the improvement comprising a rotor in said bore rotatable on a shaft journaled in the housing and spaced from the parallel to the axis of the bore, said rotor having slots in said rotor transverse to the periphery of the rotor and terminating in said rotor, vanes movable in said slots in contact with the inner periphery of the bore, passages of smaller cross section than said slots lying in the plane of the slots throughout the extent of said passages communicating between the bottom of each slot and the periphery of the rotor adjacent the leading surface of the next following adjacent vane with respect to the direction of rotation of the rotor whereby the area of the slot beneath the vane is open to the bore during the entire period that the said next adjacent blade is moving out of the retracted position and returning to the retracted position, and lubricant reservoir means in the housing delivering lubricant along the shaft to the rotor.

2. A rotary vane pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein the lubricant reservoir means is a well adjacent the shaft journal and wick means is provided in the reservoir surrounding a portion of the shaft delivering oil from the reservoir to the shaft.

3. A rotary vane pump as claimed in claim 2 wherein the housing is provided with a passage adjacent the shaft for carrying oil along the shaft from the wick means to the rotor.

4. A rotary vane pump as claimed in claim 1 wherein the housing is provided with a passage adjacent the shaft for carrying lubricant along the shaft from the reservoir means -to the rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Godley Dec. 6', 1881 Krautter Mar. 10, 1891 Taber Aug. 1, 1899 McCormick J an. 9, 1912 Schmidt May 23, 1922 10 Barnes July 3, 1928 Peltier Sept. 26, 1933 Lignian Dec. 31, 1940 Brown et a1. July 14, 1942 Willson Aug. 4, 1942 Nickell Dec. 15, 1942 Momill Dec. 29, 1942 Deschamps May 12, 1959 Davey Sept. 22, 1959 EDeschamps Aug. 16, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain of 1883 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1931 France Feb. 25, 1953 

1. IN A ROTARY VANE PUMP HAVING A HOUSING, A CYLINDRICAL BORE IN THE HOUSING, INLET AND OUTLET PORTS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BORE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A ROTOR IN SAID BORE ROTATABLE ON A SHAFT JOURNALED IN THE HOUSING AND SPACED FROM THE PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE BORE, SAID ROTOR HAVING SLOTS IN SAID ROTOR TRANSVERSE TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE ROTOR AND TERMINATING IN SAID ROTOR, VANES MOVABLE IN SAID SLOTS IN CONTACT WITH THE INNER PERIPHERY OF THE BORE, PASSAGES OF SMALLER CROSS SECTION THAN SAID SLOTS LYING IN THE PLANE OF THE SLOTS THROUGHOUT THE EXTENT OF SAID PASSAGES COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE BOTTOM OF EACH SLOT AND THE PERIPHERY OF THE ROTOR ADJACENT THE LEADING SURFACE OF THE NEXT FOLLOWING ADJACENT VANE WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE ROTOR WHEREBY THE AREA OF THE SLOT BENEATH THE VANE IS OPEN TO THE BORE DURING THE ENTIRE PERIOD THAT THE SAID NEXT ADJACENT BLADE IS MOVING OUT OF THE RETRACTED POSITION AND RETURNING TO THE RETRACTED POSITION, AND LUBRICANT RESERVOIR MEANS IN THE HOUSING DELIVERING LUBRICANT ALONG THE SHAFT TO THE ROTOR. 